The Science Of Life Section 1 Unit One Flashcards
What was the first organism
A single cell
What are unicellular organisms
Organisms composed of only one cell
What are multicellular organisms
Organisms composed of more than one cell
What is differentiation
Cells of multicellular organisms became different from each other as they multiplied and followed the various roles supplied for them by their genetic instructions
What is homeostasis
The stable level of internal conditions found in all living things
What is a gene
A short segment of DNA that contains the instructions for the development of a single trait of an organism
What is the most important driving force in evolution
Natural selection
What is ecology
The study of individual organisms and the interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment
What is an ecosystem
An environmental community
What are autotrophs
Organisms that obtain their energy by making their own food
What are heterotrophs
Organisms that must take in food to meet their energy needs. This includes all animals and fungi as well as many unicellular organisms and a few plant species
What is metabolism
The sum of all of the chemical processes that occur in the organism
What is cell division
The formation of two cells from an existing cell
What is development
It is produced by repeated cell divisions and cell differentiation
What is an organism
A living thing
